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Here are the results of a survey

There are three main elements to


of graduate recruiters at our
written communication
careers fair on: "What are the
structure (the way the content is key skills that students should
be helped to develop during
laid out)
their time at University?"

style (the way it is written)

Clarify your thoughts and the purpose of your communication


before you start writing. In business communications, clarity is
more important than style.

Identify the key points, facts and themes

Decide on a logical order for what you have to say

Compose a strong introduction and ending. The first will make


an immediate and positive impression on the reader; the second will
remain in their mind after they have finished reading

Use short paragraphs and sentences rather than long, rambling


ones. Keep to one idea per paragraph and put your point in the first
line, then add the supporting information.

Help key points to stand out by the use of headings, subheadings and bullet points. This will allow your reader to quickly
scan your message for the main points.

Number of employers voting


for each skill
content (what you are writing
Communication
9
about)
Teamwork
3
Presentation skills
5
Structure and layout can be relatively
Enthusiasm/motivation 3
quickly learnt but learning how to write
Work ethic: attitude for
good quality content takes much longer.
3
work
Leadership
2
Structuring
Critical thinking/logic
2
A good structure will help you to express Commercial awareness 2
yourself more clearly, whether in a
Computing skills
2
dissertation, an essay, a job application
letter or a CV. The following tactics may help you to structure your
writing:

Writing in a style appropriate to the audience

"A single spelling mistake


can cut online sales in
half. "
All good communicators should think
about their readers:

A study by the University of


Hertfordshire on over 500
companies found that poor
spelling or grammar alienated
77% of the companies
surveyed.

How much information and


detail will they need?

Should you use specialist


terms or should you translate
these to make yourself understood The greatest attractors for
by a generalist reader?
employers were relevant work
experience (46%), followed by
How formal or informal should
a "good work ethic" (43%).
your writing be?

For example:

A scientific paper aimed at an audience of non-scientists would have


to be written in simpler and less technical language.

A report in the Financial Times would be written in a very different


style from one covering the same issue in the Sun

A lawyer giving advice to a client would not go into the same


amount of details as to legal precedents and arguments as a law
student would when writing an academic essay.

Emails sent with job applications should be treated more formally


than emails to friends and family!

"Bad writers, and especially scientific, political, and sociological writers,


are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are
grander than Saxon ones, and (use) unnecessary words like expedite,
ameliorate, predict, extraneous, deracinated, clandestine, subaqueous."

Simplicity:

The four basic premises


of writing are clarity,
brevity, simplicity, and
humanity. William
Zinsser

Beauty of style and


harmony and grace and
good rhythm depend on
simplicity. Plato

Simplicity is the final


achievement. After one
has played a vast
quantity of notes and
more notes, it is
simplicity that emerges
as the crowning reward
of art. Chopin

Hard writing makes easy


reading. Easy writing
makes hard
reading. William Zinsser

I am sorry for the length


of this letter, but I did
not have the time to
write a short one -Blaise
Pascal.
(In other words writing
improves in proportion to
the amount of effort put
in).

George Orwell

Checklist
Look at a piece of writing you have had
to do (i.e. an essay, report or job
application) and check it against the
following points.
Structure (the way the content is
laid out)

Is the layout clear and easy to


follow?

Do headings stand out (e.g. are


they in a larger font size)?

Is the information arranged in


a logical sequence with a
beginning (introduction), middle,
and end (conclusion)?

Does the introduction clearly state


the subject and purpose?

Does it briefly summarise the


content?

Style (the way it is written)

Does it look neat, and elegant?

Is it concise, with an exact use of


As a careers adviser, I
words and economy of style?
can tell within 30 seconds
"If in doubt, cut it out!". Learn to
if a CV has been worked
be laconic!
on for 1 hour or 10
For example instead of saying
hours!
forward planning, just say planning
See our page
- there is no such thing as
on simplicity in CVs
backward planning! Words such as
very, just, quite, perhaps, maybe
and really should all be removed ( see "10 Words to Cut From Your
Writing").
Microsoft's new CEO used 3,000 words to communicate what he
wanted from his staff.
Bill Gates used 11 words: To put a computer on every desk and in
every home.

Is it simple, direct and lucid? (See table on right)


For example a bureaucrat would write:
Political organisation administered directly via the populace,
intended for the employment of
the general community, on behalf
Use single words rather
of each and every one of the
than clichs:
citizens of the nation.
Let us have an end to such
Abraham Lincoln wrote:
phrases as these: "it is also
Government of the people, by the
important to bear in mind the
people, for the people.
following considerations" ....
See "Flush the buzzwords" for
"or consideration should be
more about this
given to the possibility of
carrying into effect". Most of
Are paragraphs too long?
these woolly phrases are mere
Paragraphs of less than 10 lines are
padding, which can be left out
easier to read.
altogether, or replaced by a
single word.
Is a blank line left between
Churchill
paragraphs to aid clarity?
Some Kent student
examples of how not to
do it:
Within the workplace arena =
at work
At this point in time = now
Sentences with more than 30
In addition to the
words should normally be split.
aforementioned = also
Is the first sentence interesting/ Acquainted with = told
Effective practitioner = teacher
Does it draw the reader in?
Are sentences too long? A
sentence should contain just one
idea.

Have you avoided unnecessary jargon? "I seamlessly monetized


the leverage to our solutions management ecosytem via a high
synergy ask"

Is the style suitable for the intended audience?


A scientific report aimed at an audience of non-scientists would
have to be written in simpler and more jargon free language.

Are bulleted lists used where appropriate?

Have you used short, concrete, familiar words rather than long,
obscure, complex words?

Use the active words where possible rather than the passive
voice? "It is recommended ...." should be replaced by "We
recommend" as this is simpler and more direct

Using language with


precision

Correct spelling, grammar and


Have you kept wordy phrases to punctuation.
Use your spell checker but
a minimum?
dont rely on it completely: a
spell-checker failed to pick up
Have you avoided repetition?
the following errors:
The Plain English
Campaign recommends
sans serif fonts (e.g. Arial,
Verdana) such as this, as clearer
and easier to read than
serif fonts (e.g. Times New Roman,
Garamond) such as this.

Content (what you are writing


about)

administrator in a busty
office

I have all the right


qualities to make an
excellent manger

I have a long-standing
interest in pubic relations

I attended a fist aid


course with St. John
Ambulance

Studied for an A-level in


Art & Design at
Canterbury Collage

Have you carefully checked


the spelling and punctuation?

Have you thought through in


advance what you want to say?

Have you a clear objective?

Have you listed the essential


points you wish to make?

In my spare time I enjoy


hiding my horse

Have you made these points


clearly?

I was responsible for sock


control

Have you developed your


argument in a logical way?

I hope to hear from you


shorty

Have you allowed detail to


obscure the main issues?

We receive standardised
letters from graduates which
show no thought They use
text speak in covering
letters... Graduate Recruiter

Is the content positive and


constructive?

Have you shown an interest in


the reader by writing with
warmth, sensitivity and friendliness?

Have you edited it through several revisions, honing the text


until it is just right?

Have you left it overnight if possible: your mind will assimilate it


better and you will come back with a fresh view.

The writing rules of George Orwell

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Never use the passive voice (e.g. "Bones are liked by dogs") where
you can use the active voice ("Dogs like bones").

Never use jargon if you can think of an everyday equivalent.

"Cut every page you write by one third". Hillary Mantel, author of Wolf
Hall

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